CONTENTS
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Celebrate World Labyrinth Day This Saturday
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Tomorrow is World Labyrinth Day. Join in solidarity with those around the globe also walking labyrinths on Saturday, May 2 by participating in a special guided walk in Buchanan Chapel between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.
A labyrinth is a walking tool for prayer and meditation for those seeking God. Rediscovered in recent years as a fruitful spiritual practice, it is an archetypal sacred pattern for walking a path of pilgrimage and is found in many religious traditions in various forms around the world.
Walking the labyrinth at Fourth Church takes approximately twenty minutes.
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Racial Reconciliation Travelers Depart
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Participants in the Racial Reconciliation trip, who have formed a multiracial choir bringing together members of Fourth Church and Trinity United Church of Christ, will depart tomorrow.
These eighteen individuals--ten from Fourth Church and eight from Trinity--will spend the next week offering music from the African American tradition and promoting dialogue toward racial reconciliation. Their travels will take them to Northminster Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati; Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia; the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis; and Second Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. In the course of their journey they will sing in five concerts and a worship service.
Please keep these travelers in your prayers as they participate in the worldwide mission and ministry of the church of Jesus Christ.
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New officers elected by the congregation during the Annual Meeting in February, will be ordained and installed this Sunday during 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. worship.
Among them will be Elders, who will serve on Session, the church's governing body, which meets monthly to conduct the business of the church; Trustees, who are elected by the congregation to manage Fourth Church's financial and physical resources; and Deacons, who are often described as "the heart of the church," those involved in the care of the congregation and various outreach ministries.
Join us this Sunday in congratulating them--and in also thanking for their commitment to this church those officers who are concluding their term of service this spring. They have given much of their time and talents to this congregation over the past there years and we are deeply grateful!
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This Week: A Presentation Hosted by Shambhala Chicago
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This Thursday, the Shambhala Center for Meditation in Chicago, in conjunction with the Fourth Church Interfaith Resources Committee and several of our interfaith partners, will be hosting a talk by Sakyong Mipham Rinphoche at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and Shambhala International.
In his presentation "Making Peace Possible: The Shared Wisdom of the Human Heart," the Sakyong will talk about the humanizing quality of meditation and how we can break society down into simple interactions where one person (you) can make a difference.
For more information or to register (required), visit www.PeaceInChicago.org Time: Thursday, May 7, 6:30 p.m. Place: Sanctuary Back to top
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A Special Offering This Sunday
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This Sunday we will receive a special offering to support the efforts of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and its local partner agencies in their response to the needs of those affected by the earthquake in Nepal.
Online gifts to PDA can also be made using the links posted last Sunday on the Fourth Church website and our page on Facebook. Back to top
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New Stephen Ministers
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New Stephen Ministers--individuals who extend the pastoral care of our clergy staff by providing weekly Christian support for those who are facing one or more of life's many challenges--were commissioned this past Sunday.
Newly commissioned Stephen Ministers are Victoria Budd, Catherine Flaa, Marsha Heizer, Jean Joslyn, Lise Shipley, Carroll Smith, Anne Stelle, and Callie Thompson-Schexnayder.
Previously commissioned Stephen Ministers continuing to serve in that role are Martha Brown, Rebecca Dixon, Sam Evans, Cheri Lundin, Melanie Oh Pierce, Mark Schimmelpfennig, Leslie Wainwright, and Natalie Williams.
Together they work with Stephen Minister leaders Paula Addington, Jeannine Forrest, Ellen Schaller, Barbara Timberlake, and Roger Wilson as well as Judy Watt, Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care.
If you or someone you know would benefit from a relationship with a Stephen Minister, please leave a message on the confidential Stephen Ministry voicemail: 312.573.3365.
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RSVP for "Claiming Our Faith Stories" Today!
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Why do stories matter?
What are your life stories?
What Bible stories inform your personal journey?
How does relating to Bible stories make a difference in your life?
Women of all ages are invited to explore these questions at "Claiming Our Faith Stories," a retreat for women, next Saturday, May 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Anderson Hall. This retreat, led by Layton Williams, Ginger Archer, Janice Lewis, Amanda Love, Risa McDonell, and Clare Rothschild, will offer participants opportunities to weave connections between their personal lives, others, and the biblical story.
Participants will gather as a large group and in small groups. Many different modalities will be offered, including storytelling, journaling, discussion groups, a personal labyrinth journey, and much more.
Don't wait-sign up today! Space is limited to the first 100 women who make a reservation. The fee is $15, which includes a light breakfast. Please register online or reserve your space by contacting Anne Ellis (312.573.3369).
Time:
Saturday, May 9, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Place:
Anderson Hall
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"Network Church" and "Politics of Revelation"
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New Adult Education Classes Begin This Sunday
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Join us this Sunday, May 3, for two new adult education opportunities offered through the Academy for Faith and Life.
"The Network Church," led by John Vest, begins at 9:30 a.m. in Room 5G of the Gratz Center and will explore a new model of church life based on a network approach to ministry in which people live authentic gospel-shaped Christian lives in their native and natural social contexts. Participants will consider emerging experiments in new forms of church, spiritual practices in a variety of cultural spaces, and post-congregational expressions of Christian faith.
Later, at 11:00 a.m. in Room 5D, "The Politics of Revelation," led by Fourth Church member and New Testament scholar and teacher Claire Rothschild, will invite participants to take on the challenge of examining the enigmatic New Testament book of Revelation. This class also offers opportunity to look at various manifestations of apocalypticism in the past and present.
For more information or to register, visit http://www.fourthchurch.org/academy/index.html
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Kindergartners Delight in New Bibles
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This past Sunday our kindergartners each received The Lion Read and Know Bible as a gift from the congregation. This is just one of the ways we, as a congregation, live out our baptismal pledge to support the children and youth of the church. Check out the heartwarming photos here!
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Celebrate CLL Artists
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Join Us for an Art Opening Next Friday
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See how Center for Life and Learning artists have searched their everyday lives for the extraordinary and expressed it with their words, their pencils, and their watercolors.
The annual CLL Art Show will open this Friday, May 8 on the fifth floor of the Gratz Center, with a reception from 4:00 to 6:00 that evening. Students in the Memoir, Watercolor, and Drawing classes will showcase their work from the past year. The exhibit will be on display until Friday, June 26.
Time:
Friday, May 8, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Place:
Fifth floor of the Gratz Center
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Collecting Used Bikes
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Donate Next Saturday, May 9
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Not sure of what to do with that old bicycle in your garage? Why not donate it to those in need?
The Mission Committee is collecting used bicycles next Saturday, May 9. The bicycles will be repaired by the non-profit Working Bikes and distributed through international organizations such as Africa Circle of Hope, Faith in Practice, and Geography of Hope, to be given to those in need around the world.
Donations should be brought to the Delaware entrance of the Gratz Center between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
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Worship This Week
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Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2015
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Passages
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Birth
We give thanks to God for the gift of new life.
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Wallace Armstrong Hall, son of Ron and Hannah Hall
Jill Samantha Lobbezoo, daughter of Jeff Lobbezoo and Winnie Kuo
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Weddings
We give thanks to God for the gift of life together.
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Katherine Sage Montague and Jared Benjamin Johnson, April 25, 2015
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Concerts at Fourth Church
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The Noonday concerts listed here are free.
Friday, May 1Apollo Chorus of Chicago
www.apollochorus.org | 312.427.5620
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Chicago Ensemble 7:30 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel
Tickets available through Chicago Ensemble www.thechicagoensemble.org | 773.558.3448
Friday, May 8, 2015
Thomas Gouwens, organist
(Associate Organist at Fourth Church)
12:10 p.m. in the Sanctuary
Friday, May 8, 2015
Dearborn Community Chorus
1:00 p.m. in Buchanan Chapel A complete concert schedule is available online. Back to top
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Volunteer at Fourth Church
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There are several ways to get involved in the mission and ministry of Fourth Church. See below for details!
Current Volunteer Needs
To sign up for any of these volunteer opportunities or to learn more about them, stop by Coffee Hour on Sunday morning or contact Larry Nicholson, Director of Volunteer Ministry.
A complete list of volunteer needs is available online.
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